Las Cruces High teacher charged with criminal sexual contact of a minor

Police charged a Las Cruces High School teacher accused of inappropriately touching a student on several occasions.

Patrick Howard, 54, of the 1400 block of Burke Road, is facing four counts of “criminal sexual contact of a minor by a person in a position of authority.”

Police said the father of the 16-year-old accuser reported the allegations to the school principal on January 19, 2018.

Initially, Howard was accused of smacking the girl’s buttocks for an unknown reason.

Investigators spoke with the 16-year-old girl and several other students who allegedly confirmed the allegations, police said. The accusers allegedly told police the inappropriate physical contact occurred on multiple occasions, including while traveling to a couple of school-sponsored out-of-town trips to Santa Fe and Deming.

Howard was arrested shortly before 3 p.m. Tuesday at his home. He was booked into the Dona Ana County Detention Center where he’s initially being held without bond.